Combination beam and shoring clamp



May 12, 1953 w. H. cLAfiK 3 COMBINAT-iON BEAM AND SHORINGYCLAMP Filed Oct. 51, 1951 INVENTOR. WILLIAM H. CLARK Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I COMBINATION BEAM AND SHORIN G CLAMP William H. Clark, San Mateo, Calif. Application October 31, 1951, Serial No. 254,109 4 Claims. (01. 105-369) 1 This invention relates to a clamp adapted to be employed on board ship either as a beam clamp or as a shoring clamp.

When it is desired to hoist or drag relatively heavy articles on board ship it is customary to releasably secure a clamp to. an overhead beam or girder and then fasten suitable hoisting equipment to such clamp. Such hoistingequipment may normally be secured to ,the beam clamp by means of a shackle, the pin of which is passed through a suitable opening provided in the clamp.

When the overhead beam to which it is desired to secure the hoisting equipment is a channel the above procedure is relatively safe and simple because the lower horizontally extending flange of the channel maybe readily engaged and is generally strong enough to take a relatively heavy load. However, when the beam comprises a bulb angle the installation of a beam clamp becomes more difiicult and more subject to the danger of the clamp slipping or becoming loose and falling away from the beam. It will be understood in this connection that the lateral extent or width of the bulb of a bulb angle is never more than one half the width of the flange which secures the angle to the adjacent deck or bulkhead. Usually the width of the bulb is only about one third the width of the flange.

One of the'objects of the present invention is therefore the provision of a clamp for use on board ship as a beam clamp and which clamp is a bulb angle beam.

The present invention is also adapted to be employed as a shoring clamp for releasably secur vision of a clamp which may be releasably secured to a bulb angle and which will resist heavy loads regardless of the direction in which such loads are applied.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a clamp which is extremely compact,

relatively light and readily handled by a work man.

drawings. In the following description the clamp will be described with reference to use on board other vehicles.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the clamp assembly in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but slightly reduced in size and showing the clamp in particularly adapted to be releasably secured to Serial No. 13,401, filed March 6, 1948, now

Patent No. 2,609,761, September 9, 1952. However, as will subsequently be seen the present invention is particularly adapted to be employed as a shoring clamp when the beams or frames to whichtlie clamp is tobe secured are bulb angles.

The" main object of the present invention is therefore the provision of a clamp which may be employed to releasably secure the ends of a tension strap for shoring storage when the available beams',frame'members, or other stifieners are bulb angles.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clamp adapted to be releasably secured to a bulb angle and which clamp will not loosen under load but on the contrary will become tighter.

Still 'anotherobject of'the invention is the proopen position. i

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view through a bulb angle and its associated deck or bulkhead with the clamp secured to said bulb angle. The clamp is shownin section.

Fig. 4 is a semi-schematic perspective view of a section of storage showing the clamp employed inv various ways for securing the ends of the tension" straps employed for shoring the storage.

In detail the invention comprises a pair of opposed jaws generally designated l, 2 which are provided with gripping elements 3, 4 respectively adapted to engage the opposite sides of the Web 5 of a bulb angle generally designated 6 (Fig. 3). The conventional bulb angle is formed with a flange 1 at right angles to the web 5 and adapted to be secured'to a. deck or bulkhead B as by rivets 9.

Along the edge of the web 5 opposite from the flange '1 is a bulb or rib [0 which projects laterally outwardly from the web 5 in the same direction as flange l but which is substantially deeper and narrower than said flange.

bulb It! extends outwardly from the web 5 at an angle of 60 thereto so that the sides II and 12 are convergently disposed at an angle of 30 (Fig.

3) These sides I I, [2 are joined outwardly of the 1 web 5 by a rounded juncture l3. l

The gripping elements 3, l of jaws l, 2 are recto cook with respect to the bulb angle. Integral with the lower edge of the gripping element3 is a portion [5 which is substantially a return bend having a straight section It adapted to engage the side [2 of the bulb'ill and which therefore .extends from the gripping element 3 at an angle 1 of 60. The opposite end of the bend I5 is rigid Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and from the The side H of said bulb along the outer edge of web 5 is 'perpendicular to the web 5 and the opposite side 12 of increased lateral extent. The increase in depth of the bulb of such a larger size bulb angle will be negligible.

Attention has already been called to the fact that hole 39 is as close as possible to the bulb Hi of the bulb angle 5, there being only the wall that defines the upper side of said hole between the two and said hole is also on the axis of bolt 23 and substantially bisected by the plane of web of the bulb angle.

The hole 35 directly below hole .38 and is separated therefrom only by the lower wall of hole 3!] which is also the upper wall of hole 35.

It is also to be noted that portion 2'! and side 16 of jaws 2, l respectively are complementary in that they extend downwardly away from each other at the same angle and from the same level, hence the clamp may readily be secured to the bulb in a position opposite from that shown in Fig. 3 if the nut 24 is not accessible.

The inner sides of holes or openings 33, 35 are preferably substantially oblong in cross-sectional contour so that the side of each that is adapted to be engaged by a strap such as strap be will not distort the latter. The edges of the strap engaging sides of said holes or openings at the ends of each opening are rounded to prevent sharp bending of the strap. This contour of the openings does not interfere with the use of shackle 32 where desired.

I claim:

1. A combination beam and shoring clamp for use with a bulb angle having a flange adapted to be secured to a structure, a web extending at right angles to said flange and a bulb formed along the free edge of said web opposite said flange; said clamp comprising a pair of opposed jaws swivelly connected together and adapted to receive said web therebetween, means for tightening said jaws on said web with the opposed gripping surfaces of said jaws respectively engaging the opposite sides of said web, one of said jaws including a body portion extending transversely of said web and closely adjacent said bulb when said clamp is in clamped position on said angle, a pair of openings in said body portion extending at right angles to each other for receiving connecting elements therethrough for securing perpendicularly extending lines to said clamp, one of said openings being positioned closely adjacent said bulb and extending in a direction longitudinally of said angle and the other of said openings being spaced outwardly of said one opening along a line coplanar with said web, said means including an elongated threaded element carried by said body and generally coplanar with said one opening.

2. A combination beam and shoring clamp for a bulb angle comprising; a pair of web-clamping jaws adapted to clamp the web of said bulb angle therebetween, a pair of extensions respectively integral with said jaws extending divergently therefrom at substantially the same angle as that at which the surface of the laterally projecting bulb of said angle joins the web whereby one of said extensions may engage said surface when either one of said jaws is in engagement with the side of the web from which said angle projects, a body portion integral with one extension of said pair projecting across the plane of said web below said bulb when said jaws are in web gripping relationship with one of said extensions in engagement with said surface, a bolt and a nut connecting said body portion with the other extension of said pair for tightening said jaws against said web and a pair of open ended holes formed in said body extending at right angles to each other with their axes intersecting at a point in said plane of said web along a line extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of said jaws and about midway between the ends of the latter.

3. A combination beam and shoring clamp for a bulb angle comprising; a pair of web-clamping jaws adapted to clamp the web of said bulb angle therebetween, a pair of extensions respectively integral with said jaws extending divergently therefrom at substantially the same angle as that at which the surface of the laterally projecting bulb of said angle joins the web whereby one of said extensions may engage said surface when either one of said jaws is in engagement with the side of the web from which said angle projects, a body portion integral with one extension of said pair projecting across the plane of said web below said bulb when said jaws are in web gripping relationship with one of said extensions in engagement with said surface, a bolt and a nut connecting said body portion with the other extension of said pair for tightening said jaws against said web and a pair of open ended holes formed in said body extending at right angles to each other with their axes intersecting at a point in said plane of said web along a line extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of said jaws and about midway between the ends of the latter, the axes of one of said holes being along the axes of said bolt.

4. A combination beam and shoring clamp for a bulb angle comprising; a pair of web-clamping jaws adapted to clamp the web of said bulb angle therebetween, a pair of extensions respectively integral with said jaws extending divergently therefrom at substantially the same angle as that at which the surface of the laterally projectin bulb of said angle joins the web whereby one of said extensions may engage said surface when either one of said jaws is in engagement with the side of the web from which said angle Drojects, a body portion integral with one extension of said pair projecting across the plane of said web below said bulb when said jaws are in web gripping relationship with one of said extensions in engagement with said surface, a bolt and a nut connecting said body portion with the other extension of said pair for tightening said jaws against said web and a pair of open ended holes formed in said body extending at right angles to each other with their axes intersecting at a point in said plane of said web along a line extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of said jaws and about midway between the ends of the latter, the side of each of said openings opposite to the side nearest said jaw being fiat for engagement with a flat side of metal strap adapted to extend therethrough and the distance between the aforesaid sides being less than the other dimensions of said openings.

WILLIAM H. CLARK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 499,644 McRee June 13, 1893 1,125,009 Curtis Jan. 12, 1915 2,359,146 ODell Sept. 26, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 957,744 France Aug. 29, 1949 

